ifishalot
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Posts posted by ifishalot
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Fly fishing for carp is one of the most frustrating but rewarding types of fishing. They can be tough to fool! Fly fishing for trout is like child's play compared to fly fishing for carp.
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and when is the last time you saw anybody keep 5 let alone 50 of these darn things???
Happens far more often than you might think. They either throw them on the bank or fill up 50 gallon drums and dump them in fields. It's mainly a nighttime activity around here, so unless you're out at those hours, you wouldn't even know they are out there shooting them.
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Your 8ft channel cat setup would work well almost anywhere. I personally still use 6 1/2 foot rods for all my carp fishing. Here's a must-have list though:
1) Decent baitrunner reels with smooth drag to match rod size.
2) Tripod or Rod Pod - I personally favor tripods.
3) Bite Alarms (They don't have to be expensive).
4) Good carp mat. My mat doubles as a bag to carry my gear to the water.
5) A decent net that folds for portability.
There are lots of 'extras' you can spend money on, but the above list is what I would consider essential for carp.
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I've used Epixor 30s for carp fishing for quite a few years now. They work well.
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Post the details and I will certainly try to attend if possible. Good work!
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I agree, it's good start but more needs to be done. The 50 fish limit per day is a joke and really needs to be addressed. Good work on getting some positive recognition for carp!
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Good job. Bowfishing seems to be increasing here in PA lately. I've seen it promoted on WNEP's Outdoor Life a few times this past year and I don't even watch that show very often. I also just caught an episode on another local channel about bowfishing the Susquehanna.
It's frustrating to see the support for bowfishing growing because it does nothing but waste a great resource. I know a few of my local lakes have been getting hit hard with bowfishers in the past few years. I know our commission won't outlaw it, but I wish the game commission would at least lower the daily limit to a reasonable number. It's really a disgrace that we let this kind of slaughter go on in our waters as the commission and anglers promote catch and release to help protect our resources. Oxymornic view don't you think?? Sure, it might be fun to go out and shoot carp, but we coud say the same about shooting other creatures for fun too - it still doesn't make it right!
Eric
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You don't need big, expensive gear to catch carp. That is a common misconception. I've been carp fishing for quite a few years and have quite a few fish in the mid 30s using 6 1/2 foot medium action rods. A rod most use for bass fishing. A great rod and reel combo to get started relatively cheap is a medium action ugly stick and Okuma 30 Avenger bait-runner reel. I have Okuma Epixor 30 reels, but the avengers are about 1/2 the price and work fine too. A buddy of mine uses this exact setup and caught carp to 37 pounds, so the combo works fine. The nice thing about a combo like that is you can use it for many other species if you choose to. Very versitile.
As others mentioned, you don't absolutely need a bait-runner reel either, but they sure are nice for carp fishing. My first few years of carp fishing I didn't use bait-runners, but once I started using them, I wouldn't want to carp fish without them.
Good luck, don't 'overthink' it and enjoy the addiction.
Eric
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Ahhh, the city of brotherly love living up to its reputation. Nice catches! That koi looks like he needs a few doughnuts.
Time to start dusting off the shad darts!
Eric
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Congrats on the nice catch!
Eric
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One of my fishing buddies uses an old blue tarp as an unhooking mat. Folding it in half a few times gives the fish nice protection from the ground. As with any unhooking mat, wet it a little before placing the fish on it. He also uses an old duffle bag as a weigh sling and carryall for his tripod and other things. It doesn't have to be fancy to work!
Eric
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At least you did a great job taking pictures and netting fish. Those are some very nice, healthy fish.
Eric
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Good job catching and not scaring the locals
!Eric
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Excellent catch! Congrats on the 30!
Eric
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Nice looking little mirror! Congrats on the catches.
Eric
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Your rods are fine. I think Ugly Stiks are perfect for most carping. I use two 6 1/2 ft medium action rods and they work fine.
Your line will be ok. If it's a really weedy or snaggy area maybe you could bump up the 10 pound line, but for most situations, 10 pound will work. I personally use 12 pound mono for my main line and 10lb (3 lb diameter) for my leader/hooklink. I caught a few 30+ and loads of upper 20s with this setup and never had a problem. You just have to know how to play the fish.
Try to keep your leader/hooklink short, 4-6 inches. If your boilies are popping up too high, you can pinch a small split shot about an inch or so above your hook to keep it closer to the bottom.
Good luck!
Eric
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That's one cool fish I'd love to catch!
Eric
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Nice catches! You guys rock!
Eric
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Congrats on the new PB! Very chunky fish.
Eric
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Congrats on the new job Zach! It's kind of funny, I was just watching an outdoor show last night where they were giving a tour of one of the PA trout hatcheries. I was thinking to myself now there's a cool job I could enjoy.
Good luck with the new swim. Hopefully I'll run into you on the bank sometime this year.
Eric
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That's a beautiful fish! Congrats on the new PB.
Eric
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That was a good laugh. Great story!
Eric
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Great job guys! That's a lunker for sure. Very nice fish that any carper would love to catch.
Eric
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Beautiful fish. Congrats!
Eric
ZachATree's Picture blog.
in Pictures, Stories & Video
Posted
Zach, buddy - You handled the situation well! It happens to all of us, unfortunately. Hopefully, he at least tried eating the carp rather than completely wasting it. Good job helping out and teaching him the importance of catch and release! The second set of pictures makes it worth while.