[Bite indication without an alarm]

I started off by putting some slack in the line and hanging a piece of tin foil from it, but switched to a fluorescent pink post-it note. You can see that thing move from the parking lot, and it weighs next to nothing on the line.

[First time with hair rig]

Went out this morning to try a hair rig for the first time. used a Dog treat soaked in water till it expanded to full size, flavored with strawberry-banana jello. The Dog treat floats, so with 2 of them on, it kept the bait off the bottom. It wasn't long before I had a solid bite and landed a decent 8 lb'er. Not the biggest in this stretch of creek, but a nice one. While I was setting up I saw a real submarine swimming past before I had a bait in the water, dammut! If only I hadn't needed to wait on the drug dealer on the scooter to leave( why else would somebody be at the park on a scooter at 6:45 in the morning and do nothing but stand there for 15 minutes before he left) the lot before I got out of the car, I could have had a real chance at catching it.

 Recently I have had much better luck right at sunrise than I have in the evenings.

[Guide to carp care]

I have managed to pick up most of the gear that I need to handle and release fish now. I just need to order some size 1 Daiichi Circle Hooks. The ones I'm using in 3/0 work well enough on bigger fish, but the point comes out near the eye on smaller ones.

[Guide to carp care]

Thanks Lain! I will check them out

[Guide to carp care]

The landing,care, and releasing of fish leaves alot to be desired here in the States from what I have seen. Everyone thinks that hoisting a fish onto the bank or into a boat is the way to do it, since the Pro's they watch on the tube all do that.

I have been to stores in 2 different states, and finally had to order an unhooking mat from across the pond because I can't find one here, and the selection of nets is just awful. I bought the best one I saw. It's from Frabill. The mesh is small, and it has been large enough to land the biggest Carp I caught (28 inches). All the others had mesh big enough to throw a cat through, and that was if they even had any nets at all.

I have seen people unhook Cats and Pike by putting their foot on the fish, and twisting a big, barbed hook out like it was the only one they had. There are even some Bowfin videos out there, were people hoist them up 10ft onto the asphalt where they flop around bleeding out the gills and mouth, and another dragging the fish 50ft up a rock and stick strewn bank before they unhooked it. Absolutely pathetic.

[A couple baits to try]

Going to try Polenta. It's the size of a tube of sausage, only costs a dollar, and is made with Yellow Corn Meal. As much as Carp like corn, it may be another good bait, and cut up into cubes, it could last for most of a days fishing. It's about the same thing as Mush. Firm enough to put on a hook, and soft enough to break up on the hookset, it probably takes well to flavorings also.

Carp really loves beans where  I fish, so bean curd, ala TOFU, just might get a shot too. Finally! A use for that horrid stuff! Might as well throw those Veggie Weenies in along with them. It's the same stuff, and tastes just as bad, but the fish might just like it.

[Octopus Circle Hooks]

I use Circle hooks, but they aren't the Offset Octopus style. They are the in-line type. I have found that they have an incredible hold once the hook is imbedded in the fish's mouth. Make sure to pinch down the barb, as unhooking becomes MUCH easier. It doesn't need to be there to keep the fish pinned anyway. A tip I picked up is to use hooks with a straight eye, not up or down turned, and bring the line in on the hook side. It helps the hook turn into the fish's mouth easier.

I am going to get some from Bass Pro Shops online since no one around here carries them in any size smaller than 3/0. Diachi makes some in #1 and 1/0 that should work. They are Red Wide Gap Saltwater hooks, but I bury them in a paste bait, so the color means nothing.

I am still learning the best way to get hook-ups with them though. That's why I want to try some smaller ones. No problem at all getting bites with the J-hooks, but they sure seem to get snagged alot more often.

[Hello!]

Just wanted to stop in and say hi to any NE Indiana Carp Anglers out there. I'm in the Ft. Wayne area, and there are tons of good spots near me on any one of the 3 major rivers, feeder creeks, and lakes in the surrounding counties.