Mario Kok
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Posts posted by Mario Kok
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Poland and that is second hand information from an angler who "watched muskie fishing in Poland" on ESPN or the Outdoor Channel. It has been a while since I talked to her, but she was talking about 50-60 inch fish and northerns don't reach that in the numbers she saw caught (5-10).
I very much doubt the correctness of that information. Probably some US village called "Poland" next to a musky lake
. I'm really sure that never happened in Europe. Indeed it would have been known amongst all the pike fishermen in Scandinavia, Holland, UK etc. -
got a good one>>>?????
More news to follow after the 26th of feb.
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worthy of repeating
Bail money; dude, you've been in the business too long. How about an invitation to a mirror-only lake in Mexico?
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Now the sickos are popping up
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I'm not going to be there at the event, bur for those who find themselves in a dead swim, do me a favor and pull the following prank:
"I remember once we were fishing carp on the Maas River back home. Behind us was a walking path, where locals let their dogs out. It was a bit of a slow morning and I decided to cook up some good breakfast of Deer Goulash (out of a can). Unfortunately, my stove just went out of fuel, and when opening the can, it didn’t quite seem like something I could eat cold; I just saw a brownish-orange mass of indefinable stew. So we came up with the genius idea of emptying the can from medium altitude onto the dog walking path. The stew landed as a giant pile of cr*p right in the middle of the path. By sheer coincidence, we found a pair of underpants next to the path (I know, we were fishing a pretty rough area). My friend ran his spread out fingers through the stew and made a clearly visible wiping mark on the path. We then carefully placed the knickers next to the pile, after rubbing it into the goulash a little bit.
Of course it’s obvious what happened next. The completely oblivious dog owners where walking their Rottweilers, Dobermans, Beagles etc. down the path until the dogs smelled that yummy, yummy stew. Of course the dogs went flat out to reach that lovely smelling pair of knickers and started chowing down on that big pile of, what the owner obviously believed, pile of chit. Man, I tell you, I never ever laughed so much in my life as right then. You should have seen the disgusted looks on the owner’s faces…"
Oh yes, please film the event...
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- If the wind usually blows from the south-east, which is the case on this lake, I would find an area in the north-west. This guarantees that on the long run, whilst continuing to bait up a certain area, you are fishing the right direction most of the time. For short sessions, you can always just follow the wind.
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I'm curious, when you discuss a "snag" what are you referring to? Since there is little vegatation are bottom rocks that irregular and sharp? I found most Mexican highland lakes to be smooth as a "babies butt" (with different substrait as you describe.
Phone
We have many lakes full of dead trees along the shorelines. See the picture of one of our lakes. Carp are definitely present in these spots, but without a boat it would be madness to fish here. I usually look for an area that´s relatively free of trees, even though I do use a boat. I had some bad experiences in France and want to avoid hanging up carp as much as possible.
Saludos,
Mario
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Great video by the way Sask....too bad we hardly ever get to see that action around here.
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Oh and Phone,
Whilst perhaps not being the first spot I would fish (also because of awful bank access), I´m intrigued by your answer. How deep would you fish in these "cortina" areas? In our particular example, the lake is on average 30 foot deep with some deeper pockets. The area immediately in front of the dam is 70 foot deep. Would you fish this depth as long as you´re above the thermocline? (for the newbies: you can check thermocline in Wikipedia or search the term on this site)
What are your thoughts on this? How deep would you fish the dam throughout the various seasons? Would you zig it just above the thermocline?
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Some good stuff on here.
Let me share my views on the matter.
First of all, there are really no plants or weed beds in Nuevo León waters. You can find either hard rocky bottoms and sandy, slightly muddy bottoms. The water is not very clear and carp never just hang under the surface. They either jump after you bait up or they never show themselves at all. I guess we have too much sun for the carp to enjoy it, not unlike the Mexicans themselves. So if you have never baited up the lake, carp will not tell you where they are.
In this particular lake, which I have now fished about 200 hours, I obviously used my boat and Lowrance to find areas. But JL for the timing being is fishing without, so this is what I would do:
- Of course bank access is the first and one of the most important criteria when you don’t have a boat. So focus your search efforts on those areas you can actually reach by car or by foot.
- One big give-away is the slope of the surrounding mountains. If a mountain runs steep into the lake you can be sure that the same angle continues under water for quite a while. If the area behind you is flat, probably the first 20 –30 feet out are not too deep either.
- I like areas that break up the main shoreline. Either points sticking out or bays moving into the shore. You would most often find me on the corner of some of these points, especially if the winds is blowing into this direction. These areas are often equally good for large bass. Keep an eye open for congregations of bass boats.
- Equally good can be the areas where deep water turns into shallow water or vice versa.
- If the wind usually blows from the south-east, which is the case on this lake, I would find an area in the north-west. This guarantees that on the long run, whilst continuing to bait up a certain area, you are fishing the right direction most of the time. For short sessions, you can always just follow the wind.
- If you narrowed down your options to two or three spots, ask a guy with a boat and a fish finder to scout the areas with you. If this is not possible, I would set up my rod with a float and investigate the water depths in the areas where you are planning to fish. Also, rig one rod with braided line and a lead. Cast to the bottom and try to see if you find hard patched in muddy ground, or the other way around. I for one love rocky areas. I fish sandy bottom as little as possible.
- If the bottom drops steeply to about 10-20 foot, fish the edge of the drop off, just where the bottom gradually starts to straightens out.
- If the bottom drops slowly, try to find the edge where the rocky bottom turns sandy. Place your baits on the edge of the rocky part.
- If you fish more rods, fish different depths in the same area. Often, one area produces much better than another. Also, carp often move in from a certain direction. After a few runs, you will know which is the most productive area. Have your fishing buddy fish the other side…
- Fish as close to shore as you can. In virgin waters carp are often to be found very close to shore. Also, as long as you are not fishing 12-13 foot rods, fishing long distance will most likely lead to loosing fish after you hook them, especially on nylon lines.
- Stay away from heavily snagged areas if you don’t have a boat. Hooking fish in these areas without a boat often means loosing them as well. I understand the appeal of these areas, but if you can’t land the fish you are not fishing responsibly.
- Fish one rod with a float if possible. This will give you a very detailed indication on what’s going on under water. It’s a very successful way of quickly testing different baits. Often, the float rod is good for a few nice bonus fish, especially for the close-to-shore type of fishing.
I guess I could ramble on for a while, but including the above mentioned tips of other CAG´ers, you have some pointers already. You go get´um JL.
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Incredible, my respect to you guys.
I´m already wining I have to fish tomorrow in low 50´s
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Mario, what is the biggest carp you have had out of Mexico so far?
Just about big enough as flathead bait. But in a few weeks, Jose Luis and I are heading for a big fish lake a few hours south from Monterrey. Only mirrors
.We'll let you know....
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Well done Jose, You have a great teacher in Mario.....
Keep kicking as and reporting up
Later,
Andy
Ahhh, what do I know? Soon JL be kicking all our asses with some Mexican 40's...
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For a minute, I thought you were gonna post something naughty on here...
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Mario, was this your most memorable capture?
What is your PB?
It was in terms of the impact it had on me. But then again, I also remember some very nice fish out of Finland, a country where most people told me I would never catch a carp, let alone a big one.
I also caught bigger than the Maas fish, but why don´t I save that story for another rainy day?
Seeing how badly not being able to fish impacts some on this forum, I think we just might need another story or two later...
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Great story Mario,
Although I have never experienced a 40+ lber my PB was truly an exciting and long fought battle on a small rod and reel.....heck I called my wife at home and she showed up even before I got the fish to shore......awww loved that feelin.
Andy
That's what it's all about Andy! The absolute weight doesn't matter. It's about pushing yourself to the next limit. At least that's what gets me going...
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My first fourty…
My god, it’s so boring around here lately I feel compelled to write you guys a little story. Hope you enjoy it.
It was spring of ’94. I was studying at Erasmus University in Rotterdam at the time, but I was born in Venlo, located in the Southeast of the country. Almost every weekend I would travel back to Venlo to dump some dirty laundry at my parent’s place and see my girlfriend. The carp fishing virus had struck me already many years before and my regular venue was the “Maas River”. A fantastic river, originating in France and after first crossing Belgium it ultimately ends up in the North Sea at the level of Rotterdam. It happened to split my hometown right in two and close to the bridge that connected both city parts, you would find me every now and then at my regular spot.
The river swim
Behind my swim was a small pond of which the river every now and then during its typical winter floods took possession, leaving behind a good number of northern pike, some carp and the occasional wels catfish. Right in front of the pool was a very shallow gravel bed, extending some 20 yards into the river and on the right side of it there was a steep drop off to 20 foot, starting real close to shore. In this deep area, the normally heavy current was broken and the small quiet hole would congregate a lot of food. In addition, there was a large bed of tiny triangular mussels stretching from the giant boulders, which were used to “capture” and guide the river, to about 20 yards out. In between the boulders, crayfish would scavenge for dead roaches only to be prayed upon by huge eels, pikeperch and carp. After the mussel bed, you would find nothing but sand until you would hit the middle of the river where lay the old and deep riverbed with its mighty current.
Now, although the spot sounds like a real honey hole, fishing the Maas River was and still is far from easy. The carp are known to roam around freely, swimming for miles and miles. Some years, you would not catch a single fish in the usual spots and other years there was very little you could do wrong. The year of 1994, was a good one.
On the Maas River, experience had taught me, I needed to bait up in order to stand a chance for a decent fish. Not once did I manage to catch carp without a pre-baiting campaign. Usually, I baited up 3 days in a row, some 6-10 pounds of boilies per day. Baiting up with particles usually meant lots of big carp jumping, but very few runs. The boilies increased the number of hooked carp and possibly the average size as well. Also, only darkness would bring runs. Hardly any fish were ever hooked during daytime.
At the end of March I had exams. I went to Venlo to study, but that big river was so tempting. Already when the train passed the bridge, I could hear her calling me. I knew I shouldn’t fish and focus on my books but finally I gave in. I still had some fishmeal and peanut flavored boilies in my freezer from my last trip to the Check Republic and I decided to bait up a few days. On the second day, against my better judgment, I decided to fish a few hours in the morning whilst glancing in my study books every now and then. Of course I blanked.
The next evening I went back and this time I would stay until about midnight. I just couldn’t afford to fish all night long because of the exams, but a few hours should be enough. The most productive time anyhow was usually from sunset until about 1am. At 18.00h, my three rods went in.
Quite soon, I heard a loud monotone sound from my Fox. River fish always run hard and fight twice as hard as any still water carp I know off. After a nice few minutes of hard and fast runs downstream (they hardly ever go upstream) I landed a nice little mirror carp. My first fish of the season. With the camera on the tripod, I took a quick picture and put her back in.
The first run...
Three hours later another screaming run. This time on the left rod, which I was fishing on the edge of the mussel bed and the sand bottom with three popup boilies. As soon as I set the hook, the 3 pound rod steadily bent all the way to the cork grip and my 4500 started giving off line with its typical metallic sound. Ping, ping, ping. First slowly but increasingly rapidly what felt to be a very massive fish started swimming upstream, almost parallel to the shore. It must have swum straight to the surface as it kept going passed the shallow gravel bed. This was the longest single run I ever experienced. I think maybe 100 yards were gone from my reel, upstream that is!
Then finally, it stopped. Slowly, little by little I could gain some line again until the fish finally was at my level again. However, she was not done yet with me and this time went deep and took off again downstream. Another rod cracking run and there was nothing I could do but merely hold on. What a beast. Again, I had to bring her back slowly. In the light of my headlamp I finally saw some large waves in front of my net. Gracefully, she slipped over the edge of the net and then sank deep inside. I tried to lift the net over the rocks but I was surprised by the weight of the precious price inside. I decided to cut the line and put the rod away. I folded the net and with two hands I carefully lifted her over the rocks onto the unhooking mat.
What an awesome fish. At that moment by far the largest carp I had ever seen in my life. A beautifully proportioned high backed queen of the river. In no words, can I describe the feeling of happiness. On the Kenwood, already adjusted for the weighting sack, it read 42 pounds. There was no one to share my moment with, but those who are after big fish know what that’s like. I carefully made some pictures with my compact camera and entrusted this magnificent creature back to the ink black waters of the River Maas. I packed my rods and went home. It had been enough for one day.
Indescribable feeling
Later, I found out the pictures were somewhat blurry, but I was already happy to have some memory of that amazing evening.
Exactly ten years later, my very good friend Luc caught the same fish 15 miles downstream at the same weight and length. Still the one fish I am most impressed with…
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Welcome JL,
Marcus,
Let me clarify a few things: our typical lakes have relatively little "structure" to work with. There are no plants, no weeds. From shore, without a fish finder, it all looks pretty much the same: rocky shores with a lot of dead trees in the water. The trees often prevent you from shore fishing without a boat.
Let's take the following lake as an example. Any initial thoughts for JL?
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Nice 'eye
Here it is:
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http://www.roughfish.com
I particurly enjoyed reading about Flatheads
The Flathead is our largest catfish. In the Midwest, it tops out at weights around 70 pounds, but they get to well over a hundred pounds in the south. It's quite possible that record-breaking flatheads are swimming in our midwestern rivers. Small flatheads could possibly be confused with bullheads, but their lower jaw projects outward far past the upper jaw, so there should be no confusion. Flathead catfish are also called Yellow Cats or Mudcats. They live only in rivers, and are nocturnal.
Flatheads do not eat anything that isn't alive, and large. Two-pound white suckers are primo flathead bait. The flathead catfish has a huge mouth. They can slurp up a four-pound carp and swallow it whole. During the day, flatheads lurk in thick cover or deep water. Then, at night, they hunt, roaming the shallows looking for suckers, carp, bass, walleyes, or small children to devour. To catch flatheads, first spend the daylight hours catching large live bait. Good baits are white suckers, creek chubs, bullheads, and extra-large shiners. Where legal, sunfish, bass, and walleyes make great flathead bait too. Once you have a good supply of lively bait, find a deep hole with some downed trees in it. As night falls, throw out your bait. Most flatheaders fish the bait directly on the bottom with a sinker heavy enough to keep the bait fairly stationary; some use a float rig to keep the bait suspended near cover. You should use the heaviest tackle you have. Saltwater spinning gear, or heavy bait-casting gear, is not overkill for flatheads. In fact, there is no overkill for flatheads - you can expect to do battle with 30 pound fish that know every nook and cranny of the river, and each head-shake from a flathead is like a body blow from Mike Tyson. Whenever your bait stops struggling, change it. Smaller flats may take dead baits on occasion, but the big ones want their snacks alive. To be a good flathead catfisher, it helps to be big and hairy and to wear bib overalls. Failing that, you must own and operate a coleman lantern - there isn't a single serious catfisherman in the world who is not equipped with one. It also helps if you are a little bit crazy. If you are reading this site, you are obviously more than crazy enough to be a serious catfisher. If you live in Minnesota and want to catch catfish, email me and I'll tell you where to do it. It's a hell of a lot of fun
At least I'm a bit crazy and own a Coleman...
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Karl,
Yes, of course I'll be in Austin, see ya' there!.
Carp, as a matter of biological fact CANNOT "feed" (eat enough to sustain life) in water below 50 F. I know you are hard headed but first I am a teacher and a patient person, you will learn even if I have to personally hammer it into your lightweight grey matter.
Agree to disagree, NONSENSE !! I say haggle it out in an arm wrestling match.
CARPDOG,
You know, as suggested, it may be a good idea to lay off corn for a couple sessions and try something with a lot more protein.
Phone
Phone,
Did you post this twice so Karl gets it?
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This is my favourite one taken at the CAGI in Ontario.
You were fishing in a zoo, right?
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C'MON UP MARIO...SOME OF THE GUYS HERE IN THE STATES ARE TRAVELING FURTHER THAN YOU WOULD HAVE TO !
MARIUS,
GETTING THIS PLACE AT THE RATE WE DID WAS NO EASY FEAT !!!!
22 TEAMS NOW REGISTERED ,,,,,28 SLOTS AVAILABLE
IF IT'S ANY INCENTIVE TO ANY ONE,,,WHEN I TALKED TO THE GREAT PHONE DURING THE FFF, HE MENTIONED THAT HE WOULD BE SENDING IN HIS FEES, AND HE FULLY INTENDS TO WHIP EVERYONE !!!( WELL HE DIDN'T SAY THAT, BUT YOU DO KNOW HE THROWS A MEAN ZEBCO!)
Nah, this year I'm chasing rumors down south. I must find a Mexican biggy first. 2008 I'll come up to give you guys a good run for the money...
ATC prank for slow swims
in ATC 2010 and back...
Posted
Miguel, you can pull this one any time any where. Go for it
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