Brian Pearcy

November 16, 2015

Congrats to everyone who caught fish for the Big 4

November 16, 2015

As anyone who has ever tried to take a video with their cell phone can probably attest, the first few times trying to use video on a new phone is a little tricky. I did the best I could with this one. Taking the video ended up being the easy part. Posing the fish and then trying to narrate the results proved to be even more difficult.

Maybe you can relate. I would love to see fishing blooper videos from others who would be willing to share them. We can all use a laugh or two now and then.

November 16, 2015

I have truly enjoyed the prolonged fall this year and certainly took advantage of the extra chances to catch some fish. I had the off from work, so after checking the forecast and seeing 60 degrees I headed out for what will likely be my last carp fishing session for 2015.

It's always a risk to fish this late in the season. It's a fine line with water temperatures that keep the fish active. With the colder evenings the water is getting colder and it's inevitable that the bite will slow down before too long. Last night we had air temperatures in the low 30's. When I arrived at my spot today, the air temperature was 33 F.

I was fortunate to catch 9 commons today. Most of the fish ranged in the 8 to 10 pound range with a few larger fish for good measure. The biggest fish today weighed 22, 20 and 16 pounds.

Here are some pictures and a couple of videos of my captures.

I also have a blooper video from today that I will be posting a little later on. I promise it will make you laugh.

November 16, 2015

Thanks. I am out today for my last trip of the year. I can't pass up 60 degree weather forecasts. It was 30 this morning but it is warming up.

November 16, 2015

I used pieces of tooth picks as bait stops for several months when I started.

November 8, 2015

Wow. I long for the days when I could dress in short sleeves in November. Nice looking fish.

November 8, 2015

I wish I had some out of the ordinary story to share about my fishing session today that would make this story more interesting like catching a 40 pound mirror carp, a triple run, a thirty fish effort, a couple of 30 pounders, a new personal best, a girl in a bikini, a 75 degree temperature Indian Summer day, or something else to keep you interested, but these pictures contain none of those items. But they do depict my opportunity to spend the day fishing with my faithful carping buddy Bill Wazelle at our favorite fall carp fishing spot near Lake Erie.

I arrived at 5:45 a.m., off loaded my gear into the little red wagon, and proceeded to my chose spot on the bank. I got everything set up and had all 3 rods in by 6:40 or so.

Things started off well with a nice 20 + pound fish shortly before 8 a.m. in a spot that has yield 2 prior PB's for me, so I was excited at the possibilities. A second fish in the upper teens fell for my peach flavored maize dipped in 4 seasons 3D powder within 20 minutes.

I caught a 3rd and 4th fish after re-baiting the rods about an hour later.

I was happy to catch a 4th common carp, but size was definitely headed in the wrong direction with this little 5 pounder.

Number 5 joined the party a little later.

And then I got number 6 on my third rod and as soon as the fish hit the net, number 7 sent the alarm screaming. Without Bill there, it would have likely been a one arm paper hanger moment (or Bad News Bears if things went badly). Both fish weighed in a little more than 14 pounds.

The biggest fish of the day weighing more than 22 pounds sounded the alarms a little later on. We actually weighed it with two different scales because the fish looked much bigger than 22#'s to us. The second scale confirmed it was a little lighter than we thought.

By this time it was 1 p.m. and there was still plenty of time to get the PB I was hoping for. If had a couple fish I lost to hook pulls trying to net them around 2 p.m. and then the sun decided to go hide behind the clouds for the rest of the day and fishing action slowed dramatically and it actually started raining for a while.

I did manage to land fish number 9 before packing it up and heading to the house.

We had had mild October and November weather in 2015 and I'm grateful for it. The fishing luck has provided several quality fish for me too. I am sure the weather will return to normal Michigan ranges soon and fishing will slow to a crawl around here. I am going to enjoy it while I can, but today may turn out to be my last outing for 2015 unless we can hold onto 50 degree temperatures for another weekend. I am not holding my breath, but I'll take what I can get.

November 7, 2015

$120 for 1,500 meters

November 5, 2015

My experience is that it is better compared to Power Pro in the venues where I fish; plus it is less expensive.

November 4, 2015

I have been using TUF Line XP braided fishing line this year instead of Power Pro. It's less expensive than Power Pro at times when buying 1,200 or 1,500 yards to spool up multiple reels. I had good luck with it. In fact I like it better than Power Pro. I think it performs better for the waters I fish. I had many more break offs with Power Pro than I've had with the TUF Line XP. I'm not a chemist so I don't know if they are materially different or not, but I think they are different based on my experience.

"Aerospace technology has been utilized to produce this high performance fishing line. Tension Lock Technology TUF Line XP is produced under high tensions allowing more compaction of the fibers during the finishing process. This line is more compact, smaller in diameter, packs better on reels, offers better knot performance, casts farther, reduces rod tip wraps, and has higher abrasion resistance."

Amazon currently has 1,200 yards of TUF Line XP for $96. Power Pro typically sells for about $145 on Amazon for 1,500 yards although it's occasionally available for less.

November 2, 2015

I am sure you will get it soon

November 2, 2015

Interesting read. I wonder if they are aware of water moccasins? I would not be so brave.

November 1, 2015

Thanks everyone.

November 1, 2015

Great looking fish

November 1, 2015

Congratulations

November 1, 2015

I have been carp fishing for almost 3 years at this point. That's 3 solid years concentrating on carp specimen fishing. I don't fish for anything else.

There is a local venue known for mirror carp. I fished the venue a lot when I was starting out because it's loaded with carp and it's close to my house. I see others catching mirror carp at that venue on a regular basis, but they have been elusive for me at that venue. I fish there because the action is usually fairly steady, although a 20 pound common would be considered "large" for that particular location. I had always hoped to catch a mirror and finally did last year (my first).

There is another venue that I fish quite a bit as well. I like it because it's near Lake Erie and there is a chance to catch a nice lake fish at any given time, especially in autumn.

I was at that location today hoping to catch a new personal best, which for me is 27 pounds or greater. The action was fast and furious for me beginning within 30 minutes of my first cast.

I never really considered the chance to catch a mirror carp at that location, but today I was rewarded with a very nice fully scaled mirror (my second ever mirror).

I caught 14 fish in total ranging from 4 pounds to 24 + pounds. Most of the fish were in the mid-teens.

Here's a picture of the largest fish I caught today. It's not a new personal best, but I enjoyed catching it.

I should also give a tip of the hat to Korda wide gap hooks, Sonik reels, Trilogy flavored maize, and WCB 3D powdered flavored dip.

And I'll add an extra bit of trivia. I was worried that 2015 was less productive than 2014 and I fell short of some of my fishing goals. But I hit it hard in October and my October results for 2015 surpassed my 2014 totals - 42 vs. 38.

October 27, 2015

Brendan, I did not because netting would be difficult by myself due to the drop off.

October 26, 2015

Great looking fish.

October 26, 2015

Today though I can't seem to catch a cold not to mention fish.

October 26, 2015

I had 140 plus last year. I fish a lot with two guys that probably top 300 each year.

October 26, 2015

Thanks

October 26, 2015

October 26, 2015

I got out today with two primary goals: 1) catch my 100th carp for 2015 and 2) catch a new personal best. I didn't achieve both goals, but 50% is better than 0%. Most of the fish in the swim today were on the smaller side, but I did manage a nice 21 pound 10 ounce fish at mid-day. I ended up with 7 total fish.Here are a few other pictures from today's outing: