Carp And Mulberries

[louis]

Carp under a mulberry tree are like kids in a candy store. They just can’t get enough of a sweet thing. Carp will position themselves under these trees that are dropping berries and feed voraciously. They may whirl at floating berries or vacuum the bottom clean of those that sink. The smart carp fisherman should recognize mulberries as being prime bait at a certain time of year. Find a mulberry tree along a carp lake or river and you can expect some of the wildest action imaginable.

Mulberries come in a variety of colors and sizes and they are all effective baits. They come in white, purple and pink. Some trees hold large oval shaped ones that are as wide as quarters while other trees have smaller ones less than the size of dimes. Carp love them regardless of color or size.

Look for large mulberry trees that overlook the water. In this case we have a large tree with large, white mulberries. As the berries begin to fall, carp will become conditioned to feed right under the tree. Mulberries can come in purple, white and pink colors.

Timing is an important issue as the mulberry hatch lasts for only about three weeks. Here in southern New England, mulberries will begin to grow on trees in late spring. By early summer (third to fourth week of June here), ripe berries will begin to drop from the trees. For about three weeks, it will be a steady drop of carp food. I’ve seen the shoreline covered in a white or purple carpet of countless berries. The water can be a slick. It’s a feast just begging for hungry carp.

I’ve spent many hours just searching for these trees in early springtime. I know that if I find one along carp waters it will be a hotspot to treasure. I find mulberry trees by walking shorelines and river banks, paddling around lakes in my kayak and through word of mouth. Other carp fishermen are also prospecting for this pot of gold.

Here’s how to hook mulberries. Simply hook through the center of the berry with a #6 or #8 hook. A large berry usually floats on the water. If you want it to sink, squeeze it gently.

Fishing with mulberries is a simple approach compared to other types of high tech, complex carp fishing methods. When berry fishing I leave the alarms, rod pods and hair rigs at home in favor of a simple set up. I will rig up a short spinning rod with a good reel that is spooled with eight or ten pound test monofilament. The light line is needed to cast the berry and the short rod is for tight spots under and around trees. At the end of the line, I will tie a #6 or #8 hook depending on the size of the berry I am using. The hook is simply impaled into the berry. Note that fresh berries picked from a tree are more firm and better to use than those that have fallen on the ground. Fish the berry near its source, usually right under or around a tree. Carp become conditioned to feed in this location.

Here’s a trick of the berry trade. Most large mulberries will float once they are hooked. However, if you gently squeeze them once they are on the hook, they will sink. That becomes an important key to this type of fishing. If carp are whirling and grabbing berries on the surface, go with a floater. However, if no fish are showing, use a sinking berry since many times the fish will stay below the surface near the bottom.

Your sense of observation is important in this type of fishing. Much of this is sight fishing. You can usually spot fish feeding below mulberry trees. Those feeding on top will subtly move along the surface with open lips. At times, you may only see their lips breaking the surface. Under the surface, dark shadows may dart about in search of berries that are sinking or those that are resting on the bottom.

The berry fishing technique is so natural that most fish will not even know they are grabbing your offering. When fishing sinking berries, I like to keep a close watch on my slack line (bail can be fished open or closed). Carp will usually gently take the berry followed by a slow run. There is usually no bolt in panic as they often do when feeling the hook on baits fished with a hair rig. A simple pull will usually hook a fish as the rod will pull the hook from the soft bait into the fish’s lips or mouth area.

The author likes to fish with mulberries on rainy and stormy days. During those times, berries will be falling in great numbers. This good sized mirror was caught by the author in the Blackstone River in northern RI.

Realize that fish under a mulberry tree will quickly wise up to what is going on and they can get wary mighty quickly. “Smart” fish begin to realize that berries with a hook in them sink at a faster rate than natural ones. They may begin to bump a hooked bait to see how it reacts. Fussy fish may prefer bait that is just sitting on the bottom over one that is floating. Often times a hooked fish will also spook the feeding crowd in the area with its splashing and churning in the water. However, the feeders usually return when the commotion calms down. It may take a short period of time, but the ones that return are usually more cautious.

Weather can greatly affect berry fishing. I love to hit my favorite spots on a windy, rainy or stormy day. Those types of conditions will cause mulberries to fall like hailstones in a thunderstorm. The more a tree shakes, the more berries that fall. Stormy days often lead to a feeding frenzy along with nonstop action. On calm days, you may need to chum with berries that have fallen on the ground to get the fish interested in feeding. Shady spots and conditions of low light (early morning and evening) are also best.

Strange things can happen when mulberries fall. One of my best berry spots that I fish actually has no tree near the water. This place is located on the Blackstone River in northern RI. About a hundred yards from the river along a main road is a huge tree with large purple mulberries. Right under the tree along the road’s curbing is a drain.

The author displays a large mirror of 16 lbs. that was taken on a mulberry fished on the bottom. The tree above the fish and angler is a mulberry tree.

The drain leads into a pipe that empties the street run-off along with thousands of fallen berries into the river every time there is a heavy rain. It’s chum line that the carp in this section of the river know well during a heavy rain. Berries are just pouring out of the drainpipe and large mirror carp will just stack up here waiting for the catering service to arrive. All I have to do is flip a berry into the drain’s current, and it is a hook-up on just about every cast. In this spot I have had many rainy days with upwards of a dozen fish into the high teens. During times of no rain, there are few fish here.

There is about a three week window of opportunity to fish mulberries for carp in most areas of the country. It is one of those unique ways to fish, and a very effective one also. If you find a good sized mulberry tree near the water, expect phenomenal action. You may end up walking away from it in a daze just whispering to yourself, “too easy”.