First Trip of the Season

The time had come for the first trip of the season. I didn't keep my hopes up, as the time was quite early and I am yet again searching for a new lake. The odds were strongly against me, and despite my hard effort, (and reading Chris Yates' magnificent book "Nightwalk") I managed to blank 100%. 

Remember, dear readers, blanking is good. I actually cherish blanking sessions (if they remain on blanking streaks less than 300 hours). What I learned from the first trip of the season: it's never too early to start a season. I am not on the bank for the fish... I am there because of me.

The Prologic WUSB alarms worked nicely and they are actually quite durable. I didn't get my alarm song of "Ice, Ice, Baby" though. Yet it's worth every minute on the bank waiting for Vanilla Ice to start singing/rapping "Yo, VIP, Let's Kick It!". And on that moment, I'm definitely going to kick it VIP Style!

My Prologic WUSB 3+1 alarms with fender kits and QR hangers attached. Some might say snag bars are useless on tripods, but I reckon they are quite handy if the rigs are cast to either side of the tripod. They prevent rods falling off the pod on a screaming run.

The Fear Of The Monster

All anglers, like I want to catch a big fish. I mean such a fish, that is not just big but monstrous! Imagine all the hype and photographs of the fish and you, the angler. Likely you just could net it and put it back without putting a number on it. But anyway, catching such a monster fish ultimately has consequences.

There is a saying that goes "Be careful what you wish for". Sometimes you can be better off just dreaming and not getting what you think you want. What is there left if you break the record? You can't keep on fishing for the record fish, because you've already caught it! I don't actually know what it feels like, but I know some anglers who have caught the record fish and suffered somewhat of a motivational breakdown. Usually the fisherman changes the fishing style or the species they are fishing for. Some people turn to playing golf. 

I lost a lot of my match angling appetite after winning the Finnish team championship twice in a row. Winning that contest had been my motivation in practicing and competing. When I had what I wanted, my match angling days were over.

I love fishing for carp so much that I don't want to catch the record carp. I fear monster carp because they can take from me what I treasure the most.

Not a monster carp, luckily.

Valuation of the Catch

Spring has been delayed a bit, as we still had more snow. I am getting frustrated, as I remember that early May has always started my stillwater season. Let's see if the ice is going to melt in the next three weeks...

Anyway, on with my ramblings. I have been asking myself questions about what should we value in our carp catches. I think when considering just the fish and it's value, it can be divided into three things: weight, looks and the strength of the fish. Take away any of these three values, and you can easily understand what my point is. If you get a monster fish, that fights well, but looks like... well... a monster (in a bad sense), you won't be satisfied with the catch. I have seen numerous pictures of carp that shouldn't have been photographed at all. 

If you catch a nice-looking small fighter, you wish it had been bigger? What about if your carp record, beautifully formed would just wobble into the net, without putting up a scrap...

It's not rocket science, but I reckon people tend to value these things differently. My valuation is biased to having good fighting carp on the end of my line. If I just want to hold something heavy in my hands, I think I'll try to lift my car... Don't get me wrong, of course I love catching big carp.

I think I caught the hardest fighting carp ever last summer. It was the same night I had a double run... But anyway, I woke up to my alarm. When I got to my pod, the carp had ripped easily 50 m of line from my spool. I lifted the rod and set on the drag. The carp just went on... I put on more drag force and tried to increase the pressure with my forefinger...  The carp just went on.

After I had taken the rod into my hands, the fish took 50 m of line before it stopped! And I had my 0,40 mm mono screaming for mercy all the time! After it stopped it had me fighting for every meter of line. At the time I had it in my landing net, I was completely exhausted. My shoulders were sore and numb. The fish was about 8,5 kg. But it had been the toughest of them all. Trust me, I will remember that fish until the day I die.

Common carp tend to put a harder fight than mirrors or leathers. All released with the hope of seeing again someday...

Marker work

It's been a month since I last wrote. It's been kinda busy, and I am waiting for the season to start. Meanwhile I could write a bit about marker work.

A fruit of a different kind.

Knowing the underwater features is a must, especially if you are fishing in unknown waters. Going around the lake and searching for the suitable swim can be an experience of a lifetime, so mobility is the key. The secret is: Telescopic rods. I mean I have been using a telescopic rod for marker work for a long time. No need to carry the two-piece rod through dense shrubberies. Just a short tele-rod with the marker float and the feature-finding lead already attached. A lot easier...

My Prologic C1 2,75 lbs telescopic rod. Serves nicely as a marker rod. Yeah, it's snow still on the ground...

Prebaiting is a crucial thing here as I mentioned in my earlier blog. Prebaiting needs to be somewhat accurate, so I always use a marker to pinpoint the prebaiting spot. I make the prebaiting trips usually just after work, so I have to be able to use the car normally. The telescopic marker rod can be easily fitted in the car trunk or the backseat. No need to reserve the front seat for the 2-pcs 12' rod...

Rig bits, pieces and boilies

Hi all again!

I wanted to write something about rig bits and pieces. Basically, most of what has been written about carp fishing rigs is just marketing work. What I learned from match fishing is that there are no big secrets out there. When someone invents a rig type and catches a carp or two with it, it's virtually in every carp magazine there is. In the meantime the basic bolt rig caught around 60 000 carp around Europe. It's not useless to consider your rigs in detail. Biggest differences are made in small details. That goes to all fishing. It's not about inventing something fancy, but to make small things right.

What my basic rig is: a Prologic C3 #4 hook, tied onto stiff reptilian 25 lbs hooklink material. The hooklink is cut to around 15-25 cm (I mean the ready rig is that long, remember to add some line for the knots). A multi bead is threaded into the line, and the end of the line is tied to a multi clip. This multi clip is then attached to Prologic Distance Leadclip Leader. Tie your mainline to the Leader and attach a lead (50-90 grams) onto the clip. Now you are ready to go carping in most situations. The only situations that this rig type is not good for are weedy bottoms and surface/middle water feeding fish.

My rig bits and pieces on a Prologic bivvie table. And yes, it's snow on the ground.  Luckily we are getting more and more each day.

The most important variable in carp fishing is not your rig. Don't go too fancy. You'll end up thinking about wrong things and waste your energy. Be in the right place when the carp feed, and you'll score with your rig.

Oh, about the boilies. I almost forgot. It is really funny to see the big differences in the UK and Europe carp angling scene. In the UK there has been a trend to fish with small boilies (10 mm or less!) and in France, a lot of good fish have been caught with boilies over 30 mm. The size difference is huge. So how would 8 mm boilies work here where we have huge stocks of nuisance fish? The answer is more than clear. It would be a nightmare to fish with small boilies, because the nuisance fish would always take the bait. So when reading articles about carp fishing, remember to keep in mind the following questions:

1) Is the bait suitable for the fish you are targeting? Nuisance fish problem?

2) Is the bait used in the article designed for heavily fished commercial ponds or big natural lakes?

3) Is there a critical difference in the climate or the water between the article and the lake you are fishing?

4) Is the article about just another "flinga"-paste to put on the boilie/pellet/etc? Is it more of an ad than a "I really use this"-type of an article.

You can come to see my bait bag anytime. You'll see DD Bait all the way. I have used some other brands as well, but the new HNV-series got my attention 100%.

Another Finnish carp going back to freedom.  With 8 mm boilies, I would have been harassed by 1-2 lbs bream patrolling the area. And remember, wild carp are cautious. A disturbance might cause them to loose appetite for many hours. You don't want to have too many nuisance fish on your hook. 

Rod pods, tripods etc. vol 1

Hi again! It's been a while, and I am pleased to see that I have been writing this blog through the hard winter. As you probably know, winter is really a winter up here in Finland. -28 degrees Celsius is not the optimal angling temperature. I tend to start my season in April-May, so it's still a long wait until then.

I would like to comment different types of setting the rods on the bank. I started with traditional pod type, which had very little adjustment options. I soon found out that it's no good in natural terrain. I always had to search available spots for my pod. Usually it was really hard. When you had flat terrain where to put the pod onto, it was overgrown with grass, etc. And if you didn't clear the area, the grass would sway in the wind and pull the line (which in turn had the alarms beeping all the time). The good side to this type of a pod is that you can transport it almost fully assembled! It's ready to go in seconds.

Traditional rod pod with very little options for adjustment. Good for man made angling pegs, very hard to use on natural terrain.

Of course there are more advanced types of traditional pods available. They come with extending legs, adjustable buzzer bars, etc. You should be able to use this type of a pod with ease in almost every situation.

So now a few words about tripods. For one good reason I have started using the "tripod" type of a pod. It's got three legs, and the rods can be tilted so that the tips can point into the water or up into the sky. The reason why I am using tripod is that with the rod tips pointed up, I can get the lines over the vegetation in the water. Because of this, no reeds are touching my line and causing constant beeping from my bite alarms. This way I get some sleep at night hoping that a carp would wake me.

Tripod - rod tips pointed up, no reeds or grass is touching my line. Even in windy conditions I wouldn't get false alarms from the swaying vegetation. In the picture is my previous pod - Prologic Tripod. Now I am using the Prologic "New green" Tripod.

Bits and pieces

I had a rig-tying session to finish the year 2011. I reckon I could say a few words about that. Not the most interesting stuff ever, but considering, possibly one of the most important things for banking fish. You don't want to have unbalanced or poorly tied rigs when the going is hard. I am not a top-ace considering CARP rigs, but my years in match angling taught me a thing or two.

First, use tools to make EVEN quality. When tied 100% by hand you just don't get consistent results. If you do, you are a natural talent, but most of us mortals are not! So I have bought a fly tying bench to get the tying to another level, and yes, it helps. It's really important to get the line in just the right angle, just as you want it.

The fly tying bench that I use for carp fishing rigs. Don't mind the x-mas decorations in the background. It was Christmastime then :)

When you have your rigs in your rig pouch, etc. it's difficult to tell the hook size and the hook link material breaking strain. So what I do, is that I attach a small paper note into each pouch with the rig. I write the hook link materials name, breaking strain, the hook type and size. Also I write the tying date, so I know which rigs have to be discarded (I don't want to fish with a rig that's 10 years old). You also get better in the art of rig-tying. Consider your rigs 5-6 years ago... Not the stuff you would fish now?

So for this rig, I used Prologic XLNT Fluorocarbon 0,39mm, Prologic C1 hook size 6. This chod-rig was tied on 27.12.2011. It's so easy. And you couldn't tell these things just looking at the rig, could you?

Bite alarms

I ended my last blog with the promise of writing about bite alarms. Well, I can say something about them, but yet don't consider me as THE ultimate guide on bite alarms. I have had experience with a few different models, and discovered some evident pros and cons with bite alarms for different situations.

First, you should consider the need for electronic bite alarms. If you fish at daytime and use visual bite indicators, you can easily do without bite alarms. But most probably you end up with bad results, as carp are a nocturnal species by their nature. I reckon I have had 90% of my bites at nighttime.

So using electronic bite alarms is a must, if you want to fish efficiently. Remember - finnish lakes are big and the fish densities are relatively low. So you need to be efficient in order to catch a carp.

You can buy a alarm set without remote alarm system. But after a few sessions, you discover that you really need the remote alarm. Sometimes the conditions are really windy and the surroundings and your tent/bivvie will make a lot of noise that prevents you from hearing the beeping from the alarms. And what about beating rain... no hope for hearing the sounds of carp bites. Don't mess with the non-remote systems. It's just a waste of money. And yes, go for the WIRELESS remote alarm systems. The soundbox/wired versions are in my opinion, also a waste of time and money.

What are the most important functions in a wireless alarm system? Well, I'd start with good battery life. You don't want to go changing the batteries every other trip. Besides, the batteries are quite expensive. Bying a set of good batteries for the bite alarm system will cost you around 20 euros. And most importantly, you don't want to find your rod pod in a situation, where one reel is almost empty of line and the line is snagged somewhere really far away. And you never heard a sound because the battery was empty.

Some alarms advertise their capacity of wireless alarm reception as far as 400 m or 1000 m away. Seriously. Given the average conditions in natural terrain and the average condition of a carp angler, how much time would it take to reach the rod from 1000 m away? 800m track record for David Rudisha is 1 min 44 seconds. So I bet a time of around 5 minutes would be a good result. In that time a carp would have reached dozens of snags and emptied the spool. So anything above 100 m reception is more than enough.

I appreciate the sensitivity setting in bite alarms, because you don't want to be alarmed for every time a fish swims on to your line (line-bite). Volume adjustment is also very vital for the alarm and the receiver. A quiet lake is best to be kept quiet. If you use your 100 dB alarms all the time, people will not like you. Although here in Finland, it's more like keeping a low profile and not giving away you whereabouts on carp fishing spots. Again, gillnet fishing has accounted for too many carp deaths here in Finland.

I have been using the Prologic Polyphonic 4+1 bite alarm system for a few years now. It has been reliable, and I like the low battery warning system and the natural (polyphonic) sounds. I think a frog sound blends quite well into the natural soundprofile of a lake. So if you hear a quiet sound of a frog or a duck, look around, because I might be fishing nearby. I have really enjoyed using this alarm set. The low battery warning system is really nice. Although I can fish almost two seasons without changing the batteries.

My trusty Prologic Polyphonic Wireless alarm set. The remote unit is the one on left. The set here was originally 3+1, but i bought one separate alarm, so it's now 4+1.

My new bite alarm set is the Prologic WUSB 3+1 system. It's the first alarm system to use mp3-files. I mean, you can put ANY sound into the remote alarm to be used as the alarm sound. Quite nice. I have finally chosen a few songs for my next season to be used for my bite alarms. They are "Ice, Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, "Maggots in your catapult" by Sir Bob Nudd and ... well, you could propose a song that I could pick. So please comment and write your suggestion as my third bite alarm song for the season 2012.

So this is my new Prologic WUSB alarm set. It has three individual alarms and one remote, which uses mp3 files as alarm sounds. I haven't tested these ones in real carp action yet. There's the small thing called winter here in Finland, so no carp fishing until april/may. :)